15 Signs Your Opioid Use Is Becoming Opioid Abuse

Do you have a legitimate need for opioids but wonder if you
might use them for more than just pain management? Or, does someone you love use opioids for legitimate reasons
but you wonder if they might take more than they should?

Well, unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to see the line
that separates abuse from addiction as you pass it, and once addicted,
responsible opioid use becomes almost impossible.*

Fortunately, you don’t jump straight from use to addiction.
The normal progression goes from:

Legitimate Use, Novel Experimentation

to -->

Misuse, Increasing Opioid Abuse

to -->

Opioid Addiction

So, though it's hard to see the line that separates abuse from addiction as you pass it, since abuse is
defined by behaviors rather than by brain changes, abuse is much easier to recognize - so long as you know what to look-out for!

*Addiction is characterized by progressive changes to brain
function and structure that lead to compulsive use and hijacked memory and
motivation systems. Though you can often look back and remember
when behaviors became compulsive, it’s very difficult to self-observe this in
real time. This inability to self-recognize addiction helps to explain addiction denial.

Opioid Abuse Self-Test

Are you starting to behave in ways that indicate opioid
abuse/misuse – are you starting down that dangerous path to addiction? To check
yourself, read the list below of 15 indicators that warn of potential opioid
misuse.1

In the past month, have you visited the emergency room
one or more times?

In the past 30 days, have you ever felt worried
about your opioid use and the way you take these medications?

Over the past month, have you had to use more medication
that you are prescribed?

Over the past month, have you used your pain medication for reasons other than for what it is prescribed – for
example, to boost mood, handle difficult situations or get a good night’s rest?

In the past month, have you ever asked to borrow pain
medication from another person?

In the past month, have you ever taken another person’s pain
medications?

Over the past month, have you been in more arguments than
normal?

Over the past 30 days, have you had a more difficult time
than normal controlling your temper?

Over the past 30 days, has anyone you know expressed concern
about your use of opioids or about the way they affect you?

Over the past month, have you spent a lot of time thinking
about opioids (getting enough, when to take them, etc.)

Over the past 30 days, have you had more trouble with memory
problems or with clear thinking?

Have you ever thought seriously about hurting yourself over
the past 30 days?

Within the last 30 days, has anyone complained about your
failure to meet responsibilities at work, school or home.

Over the past month, did you ever get opioids from any
person other than your prescribing doctor (E.R. doctor, friend, family member,
street, dentist, etc.)

Over the past month, have you used your medications
differently from how they are prescribed to you (different schedule or dosing)?

Scoring

The more yes answers you tally the greater the likelihood
that you misuse your medication and the greater the risk of opioid addiction.

A strong yes answer to 3 more of the preceding 15 questions
is strongly indicative of an opioid misuse problem.

Beyond this list above, additional signs of opioid misuse
include:

Ever altering the route of administration (crushing a pill
to snort or inject, for example)

Arguing with your doctor about a need for stronger
prescriptions

Deteriorating social functioning

Be especially careful to avoid opioid misuse if:

You have any family history of drug or alcohol addiction

You have any personal history of drug or alcohol abuse or
addiction

You have any current mental illness

You have a history of preadolescent sexual abuse

How to Respond to Misuse

Realizing that you abuse your opioid medications before you
develop an addiction is fortunate – think of it as like waking up in a
canoe drifting steadily down river toward a waterfall:

If you take action soon enough you have an excellent chance
to make it safely to shore.

If you decide to do nothing, you’ll continue to drift –
picking up speed as you go – until you fall over the lip of the falls…and from
there, you can’t ever go back.

So if you realize that you abuse your meds, you
may still have an opportunity to save the situation before you fall into
addiction – and remember, moving from abuse to responsible use is easy,
pulling back from addiction is incredibly hard (some people can never manage
this feat).

What to do…

Talk to your doctor about your concerns. If it helps frame
the discussion, you can print off the list of 15 indicators to show him or
her which warning signs you’re most worried about.

Suggest trying a different combination of medications (for
example, a lower dose of opioids combined with additional non-reinforcing
medications).

Suggest that you taper off opioids and move to alternate
forms of pain management.

Suggest you meet with a specialist or get involved with a
pain clinic, for more comprehensive treatment options.

Suggest continuing with opioids while employing control strategies
that limit your access, such as having a person you trust handle your
medication, bringing your medication for pill counts at all visits or making an agreement to use urine samples as a way to ensure
instruction compliance.

Those creepy-crawly-jumpy legs that make sleep impossible – there are few things worse than the restless legs of opiate withdrawal. Only time will solve the problem, but there are medications and home-remedy treatments that can minimize their severity. Read on to get the tips you need to get to sleep.